What is your best New Model Army memory?

[Belza]

The way that every time you see them live it feels brand new, no matter how many times you see them the excitement leading up to the gig and the euphoria during and after the show never goes away.  That only happens with New Model Army....And Nobody Else.

[rick a.]

When they came back to Boston with the first full band tour in 12 years they played nearly every song I really wanted to hear. It was almost as if I had written the set list! I love all their music but that concert will always stand out for me.

[mb-hannover]

There are so many "best memories" I can remember. But one is special. When my long term girlfriend and I split up I really lost the ground under my feet. All my friend where really frightened about my physical and mental constitution. One of them send me a really nice letter from abroad where she started to work some days after the split. The letter ended with an excerpt from the "Courage" lyrics saying

But the proudest eyes are long since dry
And they're never going to cry again

Ch: Dear Friend, I salute your courage and I toast to your health
And I wish you all the luck in the whole wide world
May you never be broken like they say you will be

It hit me so hard that there is someone who understood me so well. We still are good friends and I love her so much (not in that usual way boys and girls do).

It's time again call her; to long time since we spoke.

[rick a.]

Great story. There are definately songs for every situation in life. That's why my favorite songwriters, like Justin and Ian Hunter stand out for me. Sometimes I feel like they have written a song just for me.

[Stoney]

Watching the soundcheck in Glasgow on IMPURITY tour and the run through of COURAGE!!!! Brilliant that was!
Or Justin doin' Marrakesh in Cambridge on the same tour coz the drum mic's had packed up!
"Oh alright then, for the Bradford lot in here!!!!!"  .......... so glad I've got a big gob sometimes! I have loved that song from the day i got the "moody" tape months before Impurity got it's grand unveiling!!!!!! Happy days indeed.........
Holmfirth this year was another stand out. The whole band were on fire, venue is fantastic.......
HUGE THANX to Justin and the crew for the huge bag of swag (and for signing the vinyl I donated to the cause too) donated to the Sophie Lancaster trust gig I'm playing in Blackburn in August aswell!!!!!!!!
The auction is being sorted out now and I'll post a link as n when!
Cheers
Stoney

[elle]

...catching NMA at my first ever festival experience at The Elephant Fayre in 1985.....The passion and wonder of that experience has stayed with me forever...

[drunken_uncle]

27 years of brilliant memories and superb gigs, but Sweaty Preston springs to mind immediately, as does singing in the rain at BDaze (the second one I think). My favorite has to have been a gig at JBs in Dudley in about '84. The gig was supposedly a secret, I think, but was absolutely rammed, about 500 people in a 350-person sized shed. We'd turned up late and ticketless and had to argue, plead then beg the bouncer to let us in. He finally relented and let us slip in, it probably cost us well over the odds, we couldn't get near the bar or the stage but the whole place was alive. I think The Price had just come out as I don't think we'd heard it before. Never had to work so hard to get into a gig.

Cheers Rick

[braniff]

Hope you like this...
It was last year and we made an abrupt visit to Istanbul with my wife to have her thyroid removed as she got diagnosed with cancer... A week after the (successful) operation I had to fly back to the UK and she had to stay a bit more for further tests. At the airport in Istanbul I was waiting at the gate alone, feeling miserable about returning to the UK on my own.... I turned back and Justin was behind me !!! I pinched myself, thought it was a dream... They were returning from their Istanbul gig. I introduced myself and we talked for about half an hour until we boarded. In this short time we talked about many things such as my wife's illness, life in London, NMA, Istanbul, Turkey, new coming album (TIAGD)... It was like we had been friends since our childhood and he was one of my best mates. He is such a gentleman.. Now I'm looking forward to running into him again and tell him my wife is well and have a beer together!

[Darkness]

I have a few seeing them at the Ritz in Manchester in 1985 .

I was at that gig, me and 2 mates went. We slept at the train station afterwards and it was freezing...

[Darkness]

just loved all the early stuff (and love everything produced ever since), bittersweet, and funnily enough - waiting - might not be an obvious choice , but love the melody in this song.

Waiting is probably my all time fave NMA song, love the lyrics, and you're right about the melody...

[jimswms]

First time I saw them on the Thunder & Consolation tour. The venue was the Coachhouse in San Juan Capistrano, Ca. It was a dinner theatre so they had tables set up. Management wouldn't let anyone stand. Yes. that's right. Not aloud to stand. Justin apologized for the venues rules, and thanked them by running around on the table tops!

[Simon73]

The 1st time I met Justin in Bradford and I told him the way  got to know the band………picking up Thunder and Consolation in Innsbruck when I was 18 years old and listening to it in the vynil shop at the wrong speed…………!

[fgodoy_brazil]

Well, besides the brazilian´s gigs I remember when I had the Vengeance´s vinyl and a compilation called the White Coats ... I loved NMA since then but we hadn´t no news about the band (at that time there´s no Internet and almost zero information about the band here in Brazil). Suddenly in 1989 I open the newspaper and I saw an excellent review on the release of Thunder and Consolation with the following title: "The New Model Army remains amazing!". So I had to wait a couple weeks until a friend of mine that went to London to bring me the album .... When you heard Vagabods and 225 at the age of 17  you really believe that this band is unique. I still have these moment in my mind after 20 years.

[DarrenClogshill]

Actually finding two chaps big enough to hoist me on their shoulders in Frankfurt on the Hopeless Causes tour! Prior to that always been one of the pyramid bases so to speak. Always the bridesmaid never the bride!

[Gary Tompsett]

Travelling from Kent to Tingwall Hall in the Shetland Isles ... anyone else there?